Chinese foundry to build a 3D NAND fab

EE Times writes China is closing in on a new milestone as foundry XMC is poised to break ground by the end of this month on a new wafer fab for the production of 3D NAND flash memory. The fab is expected to kick off mass production in 2018 and can be upgraded to eventually have a capacity of up to 200,000 wafers per month.

XMC, based in Wuhan, is the only Chinese foundry currently engaged in memory production. But it is widely believed that China views ramping up production of memory chips as a path to developing a more robust domestic semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.

Yang said that the “fast-tracked formation of a local NAND flash chain in China” is attracting the attention of international memory suppliers. Intel Corp., for example, is currently re-tooling its 300mm fab in the Northeast China city of Dalian for the production of 3D NAND, Yang noted. Production at the Dalian fab is expected to begin in the fourth quarter.